Explosives found, blast averted in Kandhamal

With the seizure of a huge quantity of explosives from a forested area, police in Orissa Wednesday claimed to have averted a blast bid by Maoists in the communally sensitive Kandhamal district.

Police late Tuesday found nearly 100kg landmines from four containers planted on a prominent road near Godibali village under Daringbadi police station, district superintendent of police JN Pankaj told IANS.

The explosives which were found during a combing operation by police, paramilitary forces and the anti-Maoist Special Operations Group (SOG) in the state had the capability to blow up a big truck or bus, he said.

The landmines were found days after local Maoist leader Jagannath Nayak told police that a group of 150 rebels have planned to attack at least two police stations and a Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) camp Thursday, police claim.

The 45-year-old rebel who claimed to be the secretary of a local unit of the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) was arrested last week from the district's Daringbadi area.

He disclosed that the guerrillas, who have infiltrated into the district from Bihar and Jharkhand in recent months, were preparing to attack the police stations at Brahmani Gaon and Daringbadi, and a CRPF camp at Paniganda village, Deputy Superintendent of Police GC Behera told IANS.

Maoist presence in the district, about 200 km from here, came to the fore when they shot dead Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Swami Laxmananda Saraswati and four of his aides in his ashram at Jaleshpeta Aug 23, 2008.

The region witnessed communal violence after local mobs blamed Christians for the killing and attacked their houses. At least 38 people were killed in the riots that lasted for more than a month.